Late Report: August 29, 2008 Monterey Pelagic Trip

Hello, Seabirders,

This is a late report for the August 29, 2008 Shearwater Journey's Monterey Bay pelagic trip, written by Linda Terrill. I thank all of the trip participants and the leaders who made this trip a success in my absence. The leaders for August 29 were: Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, Clay Kempf, and Jennifer Green. 

Shearwater Journeys had another great day at sea on Friday, August 29^th, despite (again) a heavy marine layer limiting visibility much of the day.  The Long-tailed Duck in the harbor cooperated for excellent viewing right out of the slip, as a Belted Kingfisher perched on a mast to seemingly check out what we were all looking at. Rounding the breakwater full of Brandt's Cormorant's and a few Black Turnstones, we headed out, where Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwater numbers were both up from recent trips, and Buller's Shearwaters are increasing for their regular fall showing, with many graceful passes near the boat for the ooh's and ahh's these beautiful birds deservedly elicit.  Our wonderful eclectic  passenger group that had gathered from far and wide enjoyed the camaraderie of excitement for the first of almost 20 Black-footed Albatross of the day that made a rather quick but satisfying pass by the expert chumming at that back of the boat, to return shortly and sit for viewing and photo ops.  The cry of "Laysan" refocused all a bit later, as i t cruised straight for the boat, sailed majestically around the boat a few times, then sat for all to enjoy.  Ashy Storm-petrels in ones and twos kept largely to the edge of the fog, scattered through the day, and a group of Whimbrels flew over the boat on their search for land. A juvenile Black Tern was an unusual visitor out over the canyon, and one lone heavily-molting Pigeon Guillemot was spotted on the water on our way in. Red-necked Phalarope numbers were up, and a few scattered Red's made a showing.  Other highlights included a South Polar Skua harassing gulls in the wake for an extended show near the end of the day.  The marine mammal show was fun and varied, with three Humpback Whales giving good viewing, and three species of dolphins bow-riding, plus a very nice show by Risso's Dolphins.  A young male Elephant Seal uncharacteristically popped his head up near the boat repeatedly – seeming to check us out, as much as we were him.  The reciprocal curiosity was again displayed by a very cooperative (and yes, beautiful!) Blue Shark swimming on the surface next to the boat for extended viewing.

 

 

 

Species list:

 

Laysan Albatross – 1

Black-footed Albatross – 19

Pink-footed Shearwater – 180

Buller's Shearwater – 32

Sooty Shearwater – 2750

Ashy Storm-petrel – 47

Brown Pelican – 12

Brandt's Cormorant – 400

Pelagic Cormorant – 2

Surf Scoter – 2

Long-tailed Duck – 1

Kingfisher – 1

Whimbrel – 24

Black Turnstone – 5

Red-necked Phalarope – 590

Red Phalarope – 6

Sough Polar Skua – 1

Pomarine Jaeger – 9

Parasitic Jaeger – 2

Parasitic/Long-tailed Jaeger – 1

Heermann's Gull – 32

California Gull – 85

Western Gull – 65

Sabine's Gull – 6

Elegant Tern –f 17

Common Tern – 1

Black Tern – 1

Caspian Tern – 1

Common Murre – 165

Pigeon Guillemot – 1

Cassin's Aucklet – 60

Rhonoceros Aucklet – 78

 

Marine Mammals:

Sea Otters

California Sea Lions

Northern Elephant Seal – 1

Harbor Seals

Humpback Whale – 3

Northern Right Whale Dolphon – 35

Risso's Dolphon – 45+

Pacific White-sided Dolphon – 20

Dall's Porpoise – 25

Blue Shark – 2

Egg-yolk (many) and Moon (a few) Jellies

Shearwaters forever,

Debra

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

www.shearwaterjourneys.com

*Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* 

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

SEP 7, 2008 MONTEREY BAY PELAGIC TRIP REPORT

Hello, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journey's September 7, 2008 pelagic trip from Monterey Bay did not disappoint the many participants who traveled from near and far in search of seabirds. Light fog, a relief from the hot days on shore, greeted the morning, but broke up early in the day. Seabirds were in view throughout the entire day— PINK-FOOTED, SOOTY, & BULLER'S SHEARWATERS, BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS, NORTHERN FULMAR, all three species of jaegers— POMARINE, PARASITIC, and LONG-TAILED, SOUTH POLAR SKUAS, RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, COMMON MURRES, RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, and more. Highlights included 1200 ASHY STORM-PETRELS in one large raft (in Santa Cruz County), a juvenile SABINE'S GULL at the Coast Guard Breakwater at the end of the day, and two ARCTIC TERNS. HUMPBACK WHALES put on a show, while RISSO'S DOLPHINS were actively feeding, and PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS made a brief appearance. The sea surface temperature was a warm, steady 60F throughout the day, with no temperature gradients. It was a very pleasant day on a very "birdy" Monterey Bay. 

UPCOMING PELAGIC TRIPS WITH SHEARWATER JOURNEYS: Spaces are still available on many trips. As soon as a trip is sold out, it will be listed as "Sold Out" on our web site. Please contact Debra Shearwater immediately for reservations. Email is preferred. 

MONTEREY (7 am until 3 pm)

SEP 12 with leaders Clay Kempf, Brian Sullivan, Steve Howell, & Debra Shearwater.

*SEP 14 with leaders Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, John Sterling, Clay Kempf, David Vander Pluym, Don Doolittle, & Debra Shearwater. Chummer: Lauren Harter.

SEP 22 with leaders David Vander Pluym, David Wimpfheimer, Luke Cole, Don Doolittle, & Debra Shearwater.

*SEP 25 with leaders Jim Danzenbaker, Steve Howell, & Debra Shearwater.

SEP 27 with leaders Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, Steve Howell, Jim Danzenbaker, & Debra Shearwater.

*SEP 28 with leaders Denise Wight, Steve Howell, Jennifer Green, & Debra Shearwater.

*OCT 3 with leaders Clay Kempf, Jennifer Green, & Debra Shearwater.

*OCT 4 with leaders Clay Kempf & Debra Shearwater.

*OCT 11 leaders TBA.

*OCT 18 with leaders Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, Clay Kempf, & Debra Shearwater.

MONTEREY (7 am until 4:30 pm)

*SEP 15 with leaders Luke Cole, Clay Kempf, Steve Howell, Don Doolittle, & Debra Shearwater

MONTEREY ALBACORE (5:30 am until 5:30 pm)

*SEP 13 with leaders Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, John Sterling, Brian Sullivan, David Vander Pluym, & Debra Shearwater. Chummer: Lauren Harter.

*OCT 5 with leaders Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, & Debra Shearwater.

SANTA CRUZ (7 am until about 3:30 pm)

SEP 26 with leaders Steve Gerow, David Suddjian, Jennifer Green, Steve Howell, Alan Hopkins, & Debra Shearwater. SOLD OUT- WAIT LIST ONLY.

OCT 12 with leaders Clay Kempf, Linda Terrill, Scott Terrill, Jennifer Green, John Sterling, Don Doolittle, & Debra Shearwater.

BODEGA BAY (6:30 am until about 4-5 pm)

*OCT 9 with leaders Lisa Hug, John Sterling, Steve Howell, Jim Danzenbaker, & Debra Shearwater. 

*OCT 17 with leaders Lisa Hug, John Sterling, Steve Howell, Jennifer Green, & Debra Shearwater.

*These trips are especially recommended for photographers. 

We thank all of the participants who helped make the September 7 trip a success. The complete species list follows:

SEPTEMBER 7, 2008 MONTEREY BAY:

EARED GREBE-1 summering in the harbor

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 48

PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 330 

BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 12

SOOTY SHEARWATER- 2400

ASHY STORM-PETREL- 1200

BROWN PELICAN- 35

BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 140

PELAGIC CORMORANT- 2

BLACK TURNSTONE- 8

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 1080

SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 8

POMARINE JAEGER- 4

POMARINE/PARASITIC JAEGER- 2

PARASITIC JAEGER- 3

LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 1

HEERMANN'S GULL- 55

CALIFORNIA GULL- 115

WESTERN GULL- 400

SABINE'S GULL- 3

ELEGANT TERN- 47

ARCTIC TERN- 2

FORSTER'S TERN- 1

COMMON MURRE- 66

CASSIN'S AUKLET- 1

RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 62

SEA OTTER- 5

CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 100

NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 1

HUMPBACK WHALE- 10, breaching & pectoral flipper slapping

RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 22

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 6

OCEAN SUNFISH- 1

BLUE SHARK- 2

Shearwaters forever,

Debra Shearwater

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

www.shearwaterjourneys.com

*Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* 

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

ANCIENT GREECE

Hi, Birders,

In stifling hot Athens, my friend, Don Doolittle and I have been
touring the sites of ancient Greece— the Parthenon, Agoura, and other
places. Birds have been very few, but we each managed a lifer—
Sardinian Warbler for Don and Levant Sparrowhawk for me. We also saw
Blue Rock Thrush and a really neat snake. The sites were amazing. We
are off to Venice, Italy today. Debra

NON-STOP SEABIRDS & MARINE MAMMALS— MONTEREY BAY TODAY!

Hello, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journey's pelagic trip on Monterey Bay today was nothing
short of sensational! It was an action-packed, non-stop, mind-blowing
day of thousands upon thousands of feeding shearwaters, sea lions,
dolphins and humpback whales! The day began with a bang, when we
located both the summering LONG-TAILED and HARLEQUIN DUCKS in the
harbor. The usual suspects were along Cannery Row, including COMMON
MURRES and PIGEON GUILLEMOTS. Once we hit the bell buoy off Pt.
Pinos, the first shearwater of the day flew in— a BULLER'S
SHEARWATER! We knew that we were in for something great, and sure
enough, none of us was disappointed! Only two miles off Point Joe, we
encountered the first of thousands of feeding SOOTY, PINK-FOOTED and
BULLER'S SHEARWATERS along with PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHINS and
HUMPBACK WHALES. Heading south to Cypress Point, we encountered one
mass of feeding marine life after another. Sometimes, we found flocks
of shearwaters resting on the sea, obviously satiated! When the
flocks of Buller's Shearwaters launched themselves in the air, it was
a like a dreamy ballet. Soon, a FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER was spotted
at the stern, coming into the chumming. BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES made
occasional passes, but the larger numbers of this species were found
toward the end of the day. White-sided dolphins were joined by
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPINS, bowriding with their pale chocolate
calves and breaching and tail-slapping. Each new mass of wildlife
produced more Humpback Whales, sometimes breaching. On the fish-
finder, we could see large shoals of anchovies. The shearwaters were
diving and looking in the water for the fish. Finally, I saw a Sooty
Shearwater flying with a large anchovy, with a Pink-footed
Shearwater, calling, in hot pursuit! The Pink-foot won out, and stole
the fish! "Wheep, wheep," calling Pink-foots were very busy. The
dolphin show that had begun at 9:30 am continued until just after 1
pm. On the north side of the outer bay, we began to encounter
scattered ASHY STORM-PETRELS, along with many more RHINOCEROS and a
few CASSIN'S AUKLETS. Then, a flock of nearly 100 Ashys lifted off
the water, and leader Brian Sullivan spotted a single FORK-TAILED
STORM-PETREL amongst them. Returning to the harbor, leader Jennifer
Green brought the boat to a screeching halt for a single XANTUS'
MURRELET which promptly flew to the other side of the earth, as they
usually do! Two NORTHERN FUR SEALS and a single NORTHERN ELEPHANT
SEAL (rare at sea) added to the day, along with two good sized OCEAN
SUNFISH. Meanwhile, overhead, SABINE'S GULLS, and all sorts of
JAEGERS gave the aerial show! It was an exhausting, but thrilling day
to witness this spectacular array of miles and miles of wildlife.
There was never one dull minute!

By any standards, this was a great day. But, it is pretty early in
the fall season to have such a great variety of seabirds, in
particular. The sea surface temperatures ranged from 58-59-61F, with
some good temperature gradients. This is early for these numbers of
Buller's Shearwaters. In most years, as soon as we see high numbers
of Buller's, we usually encounter the Flesh-footed Shearwaters. But,
Fleshy-foots are more easily seen in October. Sea conditions were not
very good for finding the storm-petrels. In recent years, we have not
found storm-petrel flocks in August. With calmer seas, more storm-
petrels might be found. So, it was a day with some major bonuses.

We thank all of the participants on this day! Many photographers were
just delighted with the show! The August 22 leaders were: John
Sterling, Clay Kempf, Brian Sullivan, Jennifer Green, & Debra
Shearwater.

Our next Monterey trip with space available is August 29th. Please
call Linda at 408-353-8036 for a reservation. Leaders for the August
29th trip are Linda Terrill, Clay Kempf, and Jennifer Green.

The complete species list follows:

AUGUST 22, 2008 MONTEREY BAY

EARED GREBE- 1
WESTERN GREBE- 1
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 31
NORTHERN FULMAR- 2
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 975
FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 1
BULLER'S SHEARWATER- 225
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 18,000
FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 1
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 225
BROWN PELICAN- 150
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- 550
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 6
HARLEQUIN DUCK- 1
LONG-TAILED DUCK- 1
BLACK TURNSTONE- 7
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 250
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 1
POMARINE JAEGER- 7
POMARINE/PARASITIC- 2
PARASITIC JAEGER-1
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 4
JAEGER SP.- 2
HEERMANN'S GULL- 50
CALIFORNIA GULL- 30
WESTERN GULL- 200
SABINE'S GULL- 48
ELEGANT TERN- 45
COMMON MURRE- 28
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 12
XANTUS' MURRELET- 1
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 16
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 48
SEA OTTER- 6
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 40
NORTHERN FUR SEAL- 2
NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL- 1
HARBOR SEAL- 12
HUMPBACK WHALE- 16
NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN- 450
RISSO'S DOLPHIN- 7
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 2200
DALL'S PORPOISE- 4
OCEAN SUNFISH-2

Shearwaters forever,
Debra

Debra Shearwater
Shearwater Journeys, Inc.
PO Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
www.shearwaterjourneys.com
debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

AUGUST 15, 2008 MONTEREY BAY PELAGIC TRIP WITH SHEARWATER JOURNEYS

Hello, Seabirders,

This is a late report of a great Shearwater Journey's pelagic trip from Monterey Bay on August 15th, written by Linda Terrill. Sounds like a fantastic day!

For a day that began with extremely limited visibility due to heavy marine fog (which never completely left us all day) Friday turned out to be one great day!  The seas were from calm to slightly choppy, giving us great looks at birds and marine mammals alike. There were hundreds of Moon jellies and dozens of Egg-yolk jellies as we headed out in the morning.  The first Black-footed Albatross was sighted at 9:15 a.m., coming right into the wake chumming, and we weren't without one, and sometimes up to a dozen at a time, the rest of the day.  It was a few hours before the cry of "Laysan Albatross" came from the bow.  We all watched as it zoomed straight for us, sailed into the wake chumming, and sat down for all to ogle and photograph.  The many big lenses on board were adjusted appropriately as a Xantus murrelet sat for all to study and photograph, flying a little way for great underwing views, then sitting again for more portraits.  Toping off a great day, a Manx Shearwater zoomed by the boat as we approached shore.  Squeezing in one last bonus, a Long-tailed Duck and a Harlequin Duck were sitting at the end of the pier as we docked!  In between, we picked raft after raft of Sooty Shearwaters out of the fog, with Pink-footed Shearwaters peaking around the Humpback Whales – and did the whales ever give us a show!  One very large Humpback surprised us with a full breech 100 yards from the boat – wouldn't have wanted it any closer!  A bit later, Captain Tinker turned the boat off when we saw we might have "friendlies", and the behemoths proceeded to scare the daylights out of some of us, surfacing right under our faces at the side of the boat, bellowing loudly as they sprayed their lovely "whale breath" for all to enjoy.  Bow-riders during the day included Short-beaked Common Dolphins, Northern Right Whale Dolphins, and Pacific White-sided Dolphins, each of these also putting on leaping shows.  Several Harbor Porpoises gave more of a show than usual, and the hundreds of Risso's Dolphins gave great looks on the way into shore.  Thanks to everyone on board for the great camaraderie enjoying our wonderful marine life!

 

The complete species list for AUGUST 15, 2008 MONTEREY BAY FOLLOWS:

 

*Laysan Albatross (1)

Black-footed Albatross (43)

Northern Fulmar (6)

Pink-footed Shearwater (45)

Sooty Shearwater (10,000)

*Manx Shearwater (1)

Ashy Storm-petrel (1)

Brown Pelican (150)

Brandt's Cormorant (400)

Pelagic Cormorant (5)

Harlequin Duck (1)

Long-tailed Duck (1)

Least Sandpiper (1)

Red-necked Phalarope (165)

Pomarine Jaeger (2)

Parasitic Jaeger (2)

Parasitic/Long-tailed Jaeger (1)

Long-tailed Jaeger (1)

Heermann's Gull (check)

California Gull (check)

Western Gull (check)

Sabine's Gull (3)

Elegant Tern (75)

Comon Murre (725)

Pigeon Guillemot (11)

Xantus's Murrelet (1)

Cassin's Auklet (12)

Rhinoceros Aucklet (90)

 

 

Sea Otter (check)

CA Sea Lion (check)

Steller's Sea Lion (1)

Harbor Se al (check)

Humpback Whale (14)

Short-beaked Common Dolphin (5)

Northern Right Whale Dolphin (20)

Risso's Dolphin (191)

Pacific White-sided Dolphin (550)

Harbor Porpoise (15)

Ocean Sunfish (1)

Moon Jellies ( ++ )

Egg Yolk Jellies (check)

We thank all of the participants on this trip. The leaders were: Linda Terrill, Clay Kempf, and Jennifer Green.

Spaces are still available on our next trip, Friday, August 22. For a reservation, please contact Debra Shearwater (below). Spaces are available on all trips on our schedule, except for the September 7 trip from Monterey. Please see our web site for more information about trips and past trip reports. Please note: Debra will be out of the office from August 23 until September 6. Please contact Linda Terrill by email, if you have any questions during this period.

Shearwaters forever,

Debi

Debra Shearwater

Shearwater Journeys, Inc.

PO Box 190

Hollister, CA 95024

831.637.8527

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com

www.shearwaterjourneys.com

*Antarctica, South Georgia, & The Falkland Islands, January 5-24, 2010* 

Shearwater Journeys' Exclusive Charter

BODEGA CANYON & CORDELL BANK: AUGUST 12 WITH SHEARWATER JOURNEYS

Hello, Seabirders,

Shearwater Journey's August 12, 2008 pelagic trip to Bodega Canyon
and Cordell Bank was highlighted with amazing views of XANTUS'
MURRELET spotted by leader Gerry McChesney on the water in some
pretty choppy seas! It was a rough day at sea with winds from the
northwest and a fairly consistent sea surface temperature of 52F.
Nevertheless, we did manage to find some scattered ASHY STORM-PETRELS
and a few FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS, and had a grand slam on all of
the jaegers: POMARINE, PARASITIC, LONG-TAILED, and a single SOUTH
POLAR SKUA. It was a tough day of seabirding. August trips can be
like that, or, they can be flat calm. Roll the dice!

We thank all of the participants who ventured out on this trip. The
leaders were: Lisa Hug, Alan Hopkins, Matt Brady, Gerry McChesney,
Steve Howell, and Debra Shearwater.

Our next trips from Bodega Bay are OCTOBER 9 & 17. To make a
reservation, please send a check to Debra Shearwater, PO Box 190,
Hollister, CA 95024. You will receive a return confirmation letter
with details of the trip.

The complete species list for AUGUST 12, 2008 BODEGA CANYON & CORDELL
BANK FOLLOWS:

PACIFIC LOON- 1
WESTERN GREBE- 1
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS- 38
NORTHERN FULMAR- 28
PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER- 60
SOOTY SHEARWATER- 25
FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL- 4
ASHY STORM-PETREL- 80
BROWN PELICAN- 25
BRANDT'S CORMORANT- +
PELAGIC CORMORANT- 2
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE- 12
SOUTH POLAR SKUA- 1
POMARINE JAEGER- 10
PARASITIC JAEGER- 2
PARASITIC/LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 1
LONG-TAILED JAEGER- 18
HEERMANN'S GULL- 25
CALIFORNIA GULL- 50
WESTERN GULL- 50
SABINE'S GULL- 5
COMMON MURRE- 38
PIGEON GUILLEMOT- 20
XANTUS' MURRELET- 2
CASSIN'S AUKLET- 18
RHINOCEROS AUKLET- 6
CALIFORNIA SEA LION- 3
PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN- 16
HARBOR PORPOISE- 2

Spaces are still available on our upcoming trips from Monterey on
August 15, 22, and 29. Please call Linda Terrill at 408/353-8036 for
a reservation.

Shearwaters forever,

Debra Shearwater
PO Box 190
Hollister, CA 95024
debi@shearwaterjourneys.com